1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compressors for compressing a working fluid such as refrigerant to a required pressure, and more particularly, to a suction muffler connector fitted between the suction muffler and a refrigerant pipe of a compressor for preventing leakage of refrigerant, and a compressor therewith.
2. Background of the Related Art
The compressor compresses the working fluid, such as gas or a refrigerant, to a required pressure. In the compressors, there are turbo compressors, such as axial compressors, and centrifugal compressors, and displacement compressors, such as rotating compressors, and reciprocating compressors.
Of the compressors, the reciprocating compressor has a piston in a cylinder for reciprocating therein to draw gas or refrigerant into the cylinder, and compress, and discharge the gas or refrigerant.
A related art reciprocating compressor (hereafter called as a compressor) is provided with a shell having an upper case, and a lower case, a compressing part in the shell for compressing the refrigerant, and a driving part for driving the compressing part.
The compressing part is provided with a compression chamber for compressing and discharging the refrigerant, a suction muffler for attenuating noise of refrigerant drawn into the compression chamber, and an absorption pipe for guiding the refrigerant to the suction muffler.
A related art suction muffler connector 20 provided between the suction muffler and the suction pipe of the compressor for connecting the suction muffler and the suction pipe will be described, with reference to FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1, the suction muffler 11 has an inlet part 11a at one side thereof for connection to a suction pipe 12. The inlet part 11a has an insertion hole 11b having a sectional area that becomes the larger as it goes toward the suction pipe 12, in which a connection cap 21 having a through hole 21a, of the connector 20 to the suction muffler is inserted.
For preventing breaking away of the connection cap 21 from the inlet part 11a of the suction muffler, the connection cap 21 has a hook 21b at a top thereof for hooking a top end of the inlet part 11a of the suction muffler, and the through hole 21a of the connection cap has a connection spring 22 inserted therein. The connection spring 22 has one end fixed to a top of the suction pipe 12.
For inserting the connection spring 22 into the connection cap 21, there is a gap ‘G’ between an outside diameter of an upper part of the connection spring 22, and an inside diameter of the through hole 21a of the connection cap 21 to be fit to the connection spring 22.
A process for introducing refrigerant through the related art suction muffler connector 20 will be described.
Low temperature, and low pressure refrigerant is introduced into the shell 1 through the suction pipe 12 from an outside of the compressor. The refrigerant is then introduced into the suction muffler 11 through the connection spring 22 connected to the suction pipe. The connection cap 21 between the connection spring 22 and the suction muffler 11 prevents leakage of refrigerant introduced into the suction muffler 11.
The foregoing related art suction muffler connector is disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration Nos. 21-184100, and 21-264470.
However, the related art suction muffler connector has the following problems.
First, the gap between the connection spring and the connection cap for convenience of connection causes noise as the vibration taken place in operation of the compressor is transmitted to the suction muffler, to result in the connection cap and the connection spring to hit each other.
Second, the hitting of the connection cap and the connection spring to each other due to vibration from the compressor driving wears an inside surface of the connection cap, to make the gap between the connecting spring and the connection cap greater, resulting in leakage of the refrigerant introduced into the suction muffler.
Third, the hitting between the connection cap and the connection spring during operation of compressor results in, not only wear down of the inside surface of the connection cap, but also deformation of the connection spring, thereby making leakage of the refrigerant introduced into the suction muffler heavier.
Fourth, the transmission of heat generated at the time of operation of the compressor to a major part of the connection spring exposed to an outside of the connection cap heats the refrigerant introduced into a compression chamber to expand before introduction into the compression chamber, that drops a compression efficiency of the compressor.